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Graham Clark
Music Features Writer
@Maxximum23Clark
2:24 PM 18th September 2020
lifestyle

Livin’ Italy, Leeds - A Livin’ Joy

 
If you have ever been to Granary Wharf in Leeds you will know that when the sun shines it can be an even more popular spot to have a drink or meal.

Livin’ Italy is situated right below Leeds train station. When you entered the restaurant the rumble I heard was not from one of our fellow diners stomachs but a train arriving in the station!

A sanitizer station is right in front of you upon entering the cosy restaurant. All the staff wear face masks and tables are socially distanced. Livin’ Italy was small enough to begin with but now with the new COVID measures it feels like you are in an exclusive club.

It is a friendly place with the majority of the staff being Italian. The menu, as you might expect is Italian classics such as pizza and pasta along with meat and fish dishes. If you arrive between 12pm and 3pm they do Rustic Bread Panini’s too.

We sat upstairs but you can sit outside if the weather is good.

If you want a good starter than the Italian Breads Basket has a selection of freshly baked Italian breads along with some breadsticks. Served warm it was a good introduction to the meal.

My partner chose the Garlic Pizza Bread with an extra topping of cheese. It tasted very cheesy but could have done with a tad more garlic to give it that extra bite.

When your main of Beef Lasagne arrives in a cooking dish that is so hot that you would burn your tongue if you ate it straight away, you know you are onto something good. As I gazed out of the window I could see a father and son sat outside sharing one of the pizzas, the joy on the face of the youngster said more than words could.

Extremely beefy with hand stretched pasta and homemade beef ragu, it doesn’t get any better than this, I thought as I tucked into the slightly cooler Lasagne.

My partner chose the Tuna Steak which they recommend served rare. As requested it came medium to rare and the pieces I tasted were thick and brought back memories of the times we have missed this summer by not visiting the Mediterranean. It’s funny how tastes and smells take you back to certain places.

My Black Cherry Tart to me seemed a bit like a Bakewell Tart but with a harder base. For me the Vanilla ice cream that accompanies the desert was just as good as you get in Italy.

My partner decided upon the Warm Chocolate and Almond Cake, gooey and gorgeously delicious, it again came with the tempting Vanilla ice cream.

If you want a good atmosphere and to feel like you are back in Italy with food to match it might just be worth discovering Livin’ Italy.

Arch Z, Granary Wharf, Neville Street, Leeds LS1 4BR
Telephone 0113 243 0090

https://livinitaly.com/granary-wharf-leeds/